Faded Memories of an Unforgetting Heart
by Lorelei Utahime
Summary: A set of 30 oneshot stories, dealing with the IchigoSenna pairing. Written for the 30 Kisses challenge community.
1. Pretend to Fly

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Bleach: Memories of Nobody, etc. etc.

Authoress' Note: This fiction was first written for the 30 Kisses community on Livejournal. And for all those who don't know Senna, she is the main movie character from the Bleach movie _Memories of Nobody._ Enjoy!

* * *

_So you really came back. _

It wasn't unexpected; she was almost certain that he would show up again, rushing about, eyes scanning the area for her presence. He seemed the very persistent type; sticking with something until the outcome he desired surfaced, no matter how long it took, or how futile it seemed.

So, when a spot like a neon tangerine began to swim through the crowds beneath her, she was not surprised. A smile lit upon her lips, as she felt her legs move; bringing her form closer to the edge of the roof she stood upon. The orange-haired boy stopped close under her, head still darting around like a kitten following a dangling string.

She had called out to him, had brought the game of tag they'd been playing since they had met to another level once again, as he still combed the crowds below to look for her. Leaning over a balcony, she had waved at him, spoken a word, and then was gone; much like the wind that she controlled. The game they were playing was quite fun; she wondered how long it would take him to catch her, or if she would come down, and allow him to.

The thought of this prospect set a warmth in her heart, her eyes turning away from the ground below to the world at her eye level. It was beautiful—the lights of Karakura mixed against the black of the sky, as if they had been brought together by the careful stroke of some unearthly paintbrush, the faint glow reaching toward the heavens like a thousand tiny hands. The glittering silhouette of the Ferris wheel rose out of the luminescent expanse, watching over all, a guardian of the artist's masterpiece. Nothing upon the ground was as amazing as what you could see on high. In the embrace of the empyrean, everything was clear.

She wished she could show him. Show him all that she could see. Show him how it felt…the feeling of wings. The feeling of floating without binds, completely at peace. Peering down at him through the web of light strands that obscured the view of the square below, a grin spread across her face. Her arms shot out to the side; mimicking those lofty instruments of flight that, if she were a bird, could spirit her away to the place she so loved.

For a moment, she wanted to believe.

Tentatively, she placed a white sneakered foot down upon one of the thick cords of lights. The murmur of the crowds below got louder, as all eyes turned upward, focusing upon the girl suspended upon the swaying cable. She knew that_ he_ was watching, as well. Maybe, at this moment, she could, to a degree, let him experience what she felt, through her actions.

All the noise became nothing but a drone, far away in mind, as she placed her other foot down, solidly now, and began to walk. Nothing else existed to her, but the diamond-flecked landscape of Karakura, and the Ferris wheel in the distance. Serendipity set through her form, as her eyes closed. In her life, she'd never felt like this before, this kind of tranquility and clarity. Nothing of gravity could drag her soul into earthly weight when she stood here, in flight, above all.

All at once, his face flooded her mind and heart, and she felt her feet slip. The sky had held her, but now, it was time to come back to the ground.

She leaned to the side, and allowed the wind to rush up, embracing her, as she began to plummet toward the ground. Faintly, the excited screams of the people echoed like a far away song, overshadowed by the voice of the wind. As she neared the surface of the earth, the gale took her upward, letting her seemingly vanish before all eyes who watched. Even the orange-haired boy could not see her; though she suspected he knew what she had done.

But it was better if she was formless before him, for what she was about to do was even a greater risk than walking upon the cords had been. That she could easily have saved herself from. This, however, she could not.

As the wind guided her past him, she came close to him, face to face. In that breathless moment, she noticed so many things about him: the deep color of his eyes, the strength and concern that lied within them. She pushed against the wind, letting it bring her forward, feeling her lips connect lightly against his. The world stopped dead around her, and all she could see was him, feeling the warmth, the radiation of pure soul that diffused from his form, and engulfed all it touched with an inexplicable feeling that was nothing but good. She did not want to move, did not want to be taken from this spot, this second, this flash in time; but as quickly as their lips met, they parted, the girl's dance upon the wind nearing its climax. It what seemed the blink of an eye, she was upon a small stone barrier, standing behind him. The roar of the crowd became deafening, as she bowed, bringing her focus to the face she had been regarding so closely just moments before. The surprise in his face at this said more volumes than anything else could.

As she felt his hand grasp hers tightly, and her body beginning to be drug along behind him as he fled the scene, a soft, invisible smile came to her lips.

_You may not remember, but I always will. And for a moment, we both had wings._


	2. Existence

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

Authoress' note: The theme for this fic is 'The Space between Dream and Reality'. Taken from the end of the movie; this is a take on Senna's last moments.

* * *

_And all I could hear was your voice….._

_Telling me I meant something….._

_That it was not all in vain….._

Her eyes were clouded, to see the world no more. The air around her was stale, the coolness of the wind reaching her slightly, dancing across her skin like the caresses of forgotten ghosts trying to drag her to their sorrowed oblivion. The only sensations the girl still possessed was the small bit of aural recognition, letting the occasional sound filter to her fading mind, giving her a detached knowledge of her surroundings. It was these spiritual whispers that would become her final memories, silent and etiolated like old photographs.

But, even through the muddled haze that used to be her senses, the was one thing she still knew. One thing that was still clear within her heart. Something that would, even as the rest of her soul and form tarnished around it, would stay as bright and clear as the first moment it had appeared.

He was still there. He hadn't left her, and he never would.

Cradled upon his back, he was the only constant left within her life. In the three short days she'd remembered drawing breath upon this plane, he had been the one thing that had stayed unchanged. The only part that had not been shadowed in doubt. And even now, as her world entire was draining away like water through a cosmic sieve, he held her, and did not move, nor become transparent. He was as the rock in the stormy ocean; unfaltering and nil-changing, no matter what waves may batter him or rain water overwash him, he would not break.

Try as she might, the girl wanted to hang on; to steal some of his obstinence, and survive; but the tides of nothingness were reaching too high, crashing against her with a jarring force, bringing her ever closer towards nihility. Her soul was becoming tired, even if she did not wish it so, and her time limited.

There was one last thing that she held out for---a light through the darkness; a comfort that would allow her to pass with no sorrow, no regret. She could feel the reverberations of his muscles as he spirited her to the destination she had wished, her own kinesthesia having been lost to her a small time before that, though to the girl in question, it seemed like a time incalculable.

"I want to check my family grave."

It was a simple request--no strings attached, no harrowing tasks to perform. Just a simple escort of a moribund soul to the place where its family rested. Where its body, from a life before the one it was currently about to lose, was resting as well. It was not for some lofty reasoning; like paying respects to ancestors, or wishing to die where one was lain to repose, but rather for proof. Proof of existence.

The girl wanted to know. Before her consciousness subsided into eternal silence, she wanted to know the truth. Were her memories _her own_ or had everything she'd seen, and experienced been nothing but a dream? And the last three days, she had walked the line between dream and reality, Fate finally leading her to this one truth--awakening her and placing her in this town; leading her to him, and finally to sacrifice; all for the purpose of learning the veracity of her own existence. She had been tested, tried, and tortured; but she'd come through--all for this moment in time. To learn, once and for all, if she had lived.

Four stones from the end. It had been what she had told him; the location vivid in her mind's eye--the place where her family, or what she thought to be her family, was interred. Everything was still; even his breathing not able to be heard upon the dead air; as if the world had hushed in reverence, waiting for his answer. Her shallow breath was baited, as she, too, was locked in anticipation.

"Is it there?" Her voice, soft and strained, filtered across the expanse, quickly to be devoured by the quiet. Closing her eyes, she took in another shuddering breath. The saturnine atmosphere was thick around her, the air itself feeling more like lead weighting her form. The minutes languished on, as all the world teetered on the precipice of that one response.

"Yeah." The silence was finally shattered, the heavy aura finally being lifted as if by angels' hands. "You lived in this town, and you had a family." Her entirety suddenly gained weightlessness, as all the doubt was cleared from her soul forever; the calignosity replaced by brilliance. His words were as a kiss from Heaven, healing her essence, and showing her the way to Elysion, her existence finally proven to all. It had been him, who had set her free. She felt her senses fall away completely, not into the cold darkness in which they were originally drowning; but rather, into a gentle warmth that encompassed them, until finally there was peace.

_I truly __**existed**__……_

_And these memories are my own…_

_The last memory, a happy one._


	3. Red

_"I knew red would suit me."  
_

He ran the ribbon through his fingers, letting the bright color dance before his eyes. She had been right; the color _had_ suited her; accenting her form as if its only purpose in existing was in her adornment. Ever bright and passionate, red was something that stood out in any backdrop, never allowing itself to go unnoticed; vivid, and unforgettable--just like Senna had been. In fact, the color did not just compliment her well; it described her perfectly.

_Red. It had been everywhere the day they met--first appearing on the Blanks--their heads, like strange pixie hats, stained vermilion, starkly contrasting with their willowy, snow-colored bodies. The leaves, which coated the ground, and danced through the air, reflected it as well; accentuating the centerpiece they clung to. They followed her every movement, gracefully mimicking the movements of the girl who made steps in the sky, in a perfect pas de deux with the wind._

_Senna. The color seemed to radiate from her; most obviously from the obi she wore, twirling brightly with her form, as she performed her aerial ballet. Even as she returned to her gigai, the presence remained; her aura as brilliant as the long belt around her shihakoushou while she capriciously continued in her terpsichorean ways--expertly performing another tarantella around the many questions she was being asked. The only insight she gave them was in the form of a complaint, fidgeting with the garish yellow ribbon that had been tied around her violet locks, before dancing away and disappearing in a grand game of hide and seek._

_When she reappeared to him that evening, where yellow had once sat, red now was entwined. Once again, the color had followed her. _

He closed his eyes with a sigh, the image painting itself across his mind's eye. The florid ribbon had been the first thing he'd noticed upon seeing her. It hadn't just been because she'd accidentally shoplifted that he'd bought her that ribbon. He had bought it also, because it suited her in a way he couldn't describe; the color seeming as much a part of her as her heart and soul. Any other color upon her hair would have seemed alien; almost wrong. It was just something about her.

As the time he spent with her progressed, more and more did he feel this way--her spirit that same vivid, passionate color that now crowned her.  
_  
Red. The pinwheels of the festival spun in time, each of them dyed in a bright cerise hue, a beautiful, almost breathtaking sight. All around, the festival booths silently sung the refrain, the color splashed upon everything in view. All around, it surfaced, making the scenery quite striking; but all paled in comparison to the original red, still embraced with violet, that stood amazed at what she beheld._

_While she may have been astonished at the world around her, nothing there was more astonishing than her._

He shook his head at the memory that surfaced next. It wasn't only there that the color was significant.

_Red. It had been all around him, pouring from his form as the strange man had dragged Senna away. It dripped from him as he reached for her, watching the shinigami that had first come for her chase her kidnappers. It stained the ground below him as he saw her vanish, his form falling quickly to earth._

_Red. It was the shade of his haori's lining, as he moved with Zangetsu, released into the state known as Bankai. It was in the faces of the Blanks he tore asunder just to reach her. It bound her to the altar that was destroying her._

_Red. It fell, like a sick rain, while his shinigami 'comrades' fought to save one they'd tried to imprison. It drizzled from each blade, pattering across the landscape, every slain enemy adding another wave of precipitation._

_Red. It bled from his face and chest as he continued to fight. It bled from his blade as the world crashed down around him, the valley falling apart from the ministrations of Soul Society. It bled from his __**soul**__ as he ended Ganryuu, and resurfaced--the one he'd vowed to protect now within his embrace._

_Red. It bled from her words, as she proclaimed she would not allow him to die. It bled from her hands as she forced the worlds apart. It bled from __**her**__ soul, as she sacrificed herself for one she'd vowed to protect._

_**Red. It glowed from his heart, as he gave her the existence she had been searching for.**_

_**Red. It scintillated from her spirit, as she vanished from his back, finally at peace**__._

His eyes stung, the heat of tears now burning within them. Through the haze, he looked down once more at the ribbon. Red. The color truly had described her life. Fleeting as it had been, its significance was such that it would never be forgotten, vibrant and beautiful within his mind, even though he had been meant to forget her, his memories of her disappearing with the Blanks as it had for everyone else. It had never faded, staying as bright as the ribbon she had worn in her hair, that he now held within his hand.

Silently, he bowed his head, eyes closing in a reverent expression, as he brought the ribbon to his lips, kissing it softly.

She had been right. Red had suited her.  
_  
_


	4. Steady

Authoress' Note: The theme for this one is Wada Calcium CD3, which is a calcium supplement in Japan described as being for those who are growing, the elderly, and those who don't get enough sunlight or fish.

* * *

When she looked at the container of tiny white pills, she was skeptical.

It was a curious thing; it didn't seem the kind of thing that Ichigo would really think about--the boy was oblivious, most days--but today, he'd come to her, warm look on his face, and brown bottle of pills in hand; placing them within hers with a gentle smile, and one sentence on his lips: _"Please take them"._ It was odd. She had cocked her head to the side, wondering why he had done it, and before a question could be posed, he was gone--out the door to school.

And she was left with the enigmatic nostrum.

Rolling it over in her hands, she looked at the label with a blink.

_Wada Calcium CD3._

A supplement?

_For the growing, elderly, or those who don't get enough sunlight._

_Or fish._

For the life of her, she couldn't understand why he'd give her such a thing--she was energetic wasn't she? She was strong enough, she was capable--and she got enough sunlight. There wasn't a day that passed that she would not take advantage and run outside into the world; rain, sun or otherwise. Life was too short to stay stationary. She knew this well. She'd almost lost the life she'd been given upon the bridge that night, using the Blanks to pull the worlds apart.

She didn't know how she survived, but she wasn't going to waste it.

And she--well, she was technically a shinigami. Would something like this really work on her? Granted, she could eat the same food as he did; and it would replenish her energy just the same--but would a _calcium supplement_ really even have an effect? Wasn't their physiology different? Wouldn't it have to be something made of spiritrons, or some other otherworldly substance? She wasn't even really running on reiatsu. She was running on something different---the power of the Blanks, which, for all explanations should have faded by now---but, here she stood, an anomaly of an anomaly.

Which made her time on this earth unknown, and most likely limited.

Wait.

Another thought stepped forward on the heels of the last as she stared at the tiny vessel. And it was this thought that made her smile--and understand.

Placing a hand upon, she twisted the lid, a small 'pop' resounding as the seal broke. Tipping the end of the bottle upward, she shook one of the strange pills into her hand.

Placing it on her tongue, she closed her mouth around it, grimacing slightly at the bitter taste of the medicine. But, it _was_ for Ichigo, so she'd at least try. Especially if the reason she thought he was doing this for was right.

As she tried to swallow the pill back, she felt a pair of arms wrap about her, feeling a kiss upon her cheek, and a warm voice in her ear.

"...I'm glad you're taking them." Sweet, soft, familiar. She knew who the voice belonged to; the same who had saved her from the Dark Ones, and given her the pills. The one she almost died for. She swallowed thickly, finally forcing the pill down with a small cough.

"Why?" She asked, slightly because she knew he expected her to, but mostly because she wanted to know if she was right.

A chuckle escaped his lips, as embraced her tighter.

"If we make you stronger, you won't fade."

She smiled.

She _had_ been right.


	5. Festival of Lights

"You know, that candy's for you to eat...not wear."

The girl had shot him a look at his comment, before turning her attentions back to the flaxen candy, so deceptively fluffy that it hid the true nature of its' stickiness. It was this fact that had spurred the orange-headed boy's remark--she had wanted to touch it, wanted to grab it and figure it out--as it looked more like batting than something you could eat--and she had ended up getting strands of the strange substance upon her clothing. It _was_ called Cotton Candy for that very reason, she surmised.

She'd seen it as they had been walking, the peculiar strands being spun into a pastel colored cloud that was subsequently perched upon a small cone of cardboard. It had made her stop, as she cocked her head to the side, mesmerized by the whirl of color. To her, it was amazing--the bright color coming out of what seemed to be thin air--coming into existence from nothing. She'd pulled on Ichigo's arm, bugging him about it until he'd finally conceded, giving the yen over to the vendor with an exasperated sigh.

"It's just cotton candy," he'd said, "It's nothing _that _spectacular."

She'd giggled at that--to her, it _was_ spectacular. Another fantastic element to the almost fairy-tale-esque day that she had been having. Ichigo had finally given in to a wish she'd had since the first time they'd met. She had wanted to ride the ferris wheel: its height towered over the entirety of Karakura, and she'd be able to see everything from the top of its circle. A perfect spot for someone like her, who felt at home at a high perch, with nothing but the sky above them and the ground far below.

But, he'd taken that simple wish, and turned it into something even better: a trip to the ferris wheel at the time of the annual festival Karakura held at its base. That meant that in addition to the ferris wheel, there were also games, foods, and different booths full of trinkets and other small treasures, all unique and dazzling to the young woman's eyes. Ichigo had sighed, and acted irritated at each instance of her wonderment at things that he considered mundane; this being most likely the thousandth time he'd seen these things while it was the first time she'd seen any of it. But, as she'd stared at the toys and masks, she'd stolen a quick glance at him as well--and she knew she'd seen him smile. It warmed his heart to see her enjoying herself, even if he'd never admit it.

And as he'd bought her the cotton candy, he'd used her distraction with the strange substance to hide where he was actually taking her. Which had worked, as she hadn't paid any attention to where they were walking until he was at the ticket booth. She'd poked a finger into the candy again, pulling another strand off (which had miraculously made it into her mouth), feeling the peculiar sensation as it melted into a sugary nothingness in her mouth, its existence only a sweet memory.

"Oi." He'd said, elbowing her slightly in the ribs, making her look up in a bit of annoyance, as he'd taken her from her musings about the odd confectionery. A reply to convey her momentary irritation was upon her lips, but what she saw when she lifted her head made all those feelings and words melt away like the cotton candy upon her tongue. Her eyes widened; her expression comparable to a child's first beholding of a tree at Christmas, shining like diamonds with the soft light of amazement caught within them.

The ferris wheel stood before them, and before she could speak a word, a ticket was presented to her. In a moment, she was taken into one of the small, spherical cars; and the orange-headed boy had sat her down, and then taken a place beside her. Even before the wheel had begun to move, her eyes were plastered on the windows, staring out at the crowd around them, and the festival beyond. The wheel had shuddered, and they began their ascent; and the scenery outside the glass changed--the crowd becoming smaller, until they were unable to be seen--and the festival becoming another cluster of lights in the shining expanse that was Karakura--a million tiny artificial stars upon a black canvas.

Senna had never seen anything so beautiful in her life. She took in a breath, awestruck. It was the picture of serenity--and she'd forgotten for a moment they were contained within the metal capsule of the ride--she felt that she could touch the very fabric of the sky. A peace reigned in her heart, and she barely heard herself speak when she whispered to the car's other occupant, her voice hushed in reverency.

"...Ichigo, thank you..."

He'd smiled at this; a warm smile she'd seen reflected in the glass in front of her. There was something else in his eyes, sparkling--as if he was waiting for something. She wondered what it was; but she barely had a moment to ponder before what it was presented itself in the manner of an explosion of color filling the sky before her, scintillating into a rain of brilliance, before vanishing. Others followed it, dancing in their fiery spectacle, illuminating the heavens with their moment of glory, before fading into the obsidian night, leaving only a smoky memory of their fleeting lives.

She looked from the tableau before her back toward the young man who'd brought her here, the colors from the fireworks around them making his face appear almost fey-like. The question she wanted to ask him was obvious; but she didn't trouble herself to verbalize it--as his expression gave her the answer she sought. He knew this was going to happen, and that was exactly why he'd brought her. He'd waited the entire night, stalled on bringing her to the place she had longed to be, just for the chance to have this moment.

She moved from the window in one quick motion, wrapping her arms around the boy in a tight embrace, bringing her lips to meet his in an impassioned gesture--which was quickly returned, as the boy pushed back against her, deepening the kiss. The prismatic display continued around them, the light becoming almost blinding as the finale commenced--the roar of the explosions like distant thunder. All time seemed to slow; the moment lingering on into a proverbial eternity--but as the finale ceased, so did the kiss, the two finally pulling apart. The violet-haired girl laid her head against Ichigo's chest, closing her eyes as the wheel began to move again.

_When you're up high, things really **do** become crystal clear..._


End file.
